Scottish Executive

Animal Disease Surveillance

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps can be taken to ensure that rabies does not spread from bats to other mammals such as rats and mice.

Ross Finnie: Based on experience in other parts of Europe where bat rabies is widespread and cross-infection of other mammals, including rats and mice, is considered to be at negligible levels, no preventative action here is felt to be necessary.

Community Care

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to group residential care homes and nursing homes together under the single term "care home"; if so, when it plans to do this and what effect such a change would have on the data published in the annual Scottish Community Care Statistics publication.

Malcolm Chisholm: The distinction between residential care homes and nursing homes was removed on 1 April 2002, the day on which the new Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (Care Commission) became operational. The removal of the distinction means that there will be no distressing moves for those whose care needs change.

  The single term "care home" is currently being used to describe establishments which were formerly known as either residential care homes or nursing homes, and from 2003 it is planned to conduct a regular "care homes" census which will replace the current census’ of residential care homes (run by the Scottish Executive) and the nursing homes census (run by ISD, Scotland).

  The Executive is currently evaluating its own information needs, along with those of the NHS and the new Care Commission. The need to collect, analyse and disseminate the information published in Scottish Community Care Statistics remains.

Community Care

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many front-line social work staff were working in community care social work services in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: Information on staffing within Scottish local authority social work services is contained within the Scottish Executive statistical bulletin Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Services . The bulletin is published annually and contains the results of staffing census held across all Scottish local authorities. The bulletins for each of the last five years can be found at the following addresses:

  Staff of Scottish Social Work Departments, 1997 Statistical Bulletin:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library/documents6/swk-00.htm.

  Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Departments, 1998:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/doc01/sb921-00.htm.

  Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Departments, 1999:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00061-00.asp.

  Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Services, 2000:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00106-00.asp.

  Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Services, 2001:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00197-00.asp.

Community Care

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what average amount is charged by (a) local authority, (b) independent and (c) private (i) residential and (ii) nursing care homes for care services on a per person per week basis, broken down by local authority area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows, for all client groups, the average weekly charge for residential care homes in Scotland. Information on private nursing homes is not held centrally.

  Average Weekly Charge1 Per Resident in Residential Care Homes, Scotland 2001

  
 Local Authority
Local Authority Residential Care Homes(£)
Private and Voluntary Residential Care Homes(£)
 Aberdeen City
386 325
 Aberdeenshire
348 387
 Angus 398
306  Argyll and 
Bute 439
274  Clackmannanshire
* *
 Dumfries and Galloway
* 335
 Dundee City
464 294
 East Ayrshire
348 275
 East Dunbartonshire
* 442
 East Lothian
* 340
 East Renfrewshire
* 393
 Edinburgh, City of
464 376
 Eilean Siar
458 *
 Falkirk
533 368
 Fife 441
363  Glasgow City
377 429
 Highland
396 298
 Inverclyde
390 416
 Midlothian
* 426
 Moray *
339  North Ayrshire
352 337
 North Lanarkshire
340 421
 Orkney Islands
* *
 Perth and Kinross
386 337
 Renfrewshire
385 403
 Scottish Borders
317 314
 Shetland Islands
* 281
 South Ayrshire
369 385
 South Lanarkshire
339 391
 Stirling
* 353
 West Dunbartonshire
406 382
 West Lothian
400 402
 Scotland
399 361


  Source: SEHD Community Care Statistics – R1 Return.

  Note:

  1. Where the average is based on five homes or less, the figure has been starred out for confidentiality reasons.

Courts

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30798 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 November 2002, what the results have been of consultation with (a) procurators fiscal and (b) sheriffs on the use of civilian staff for court security and prisoner handling.

Mr Jim Wallace: These discussions have been extremely helpful and have informed the amendments which are being tabled to section 61 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill.

Deaf and Hearing-impaired People

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified teachers of deaf pupils currently work in (a) mainstream schools and (b) specialist schools for the deaf.

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified teachers of deaf pupils currently working in (a) mainstream schools and (b) specialist schools for the deaf are within five years of retirement age.

Cathy Jamieson: Information on the number of qualified teachers of deaf pupils currently working in schools is not held centrally.

  However, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31265 on 19 November 2002, for the most recent centrally-held information on teachers trained to teach deaf pupils. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  In future, information collected under the new ScotXed teacher census will include details of the number of centrally employed and school-based teachers of deaf pupils.

Deaf and Hearing-impaired People

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase the number of staff with specialist training in educating deaf people working with deaf children.

Cathie Craigie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans for a recruitment drive, targeted at qualified teachers working in mainstream education, to increase the number of teachers with specialist training in teaching deaf children.

Cathy Jamieson: It is a matter for local authorities to determine the number of appropriately qualified staff that they require. The Scottish Executive has increased its funding to local authorities for development and training of special educational needs staff, including those working with children with hearing impairment, from £4.684 million in 2001-02 to £7.380 million in 2002-03.

Drug Misuse

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30688 by Mr Jim Wallace on 11 November 2002, whether it has any plans to estimate convictions by class of drug at any level more detailed than national level and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Mr Jim Wallace: Some information on convictions by class of drug is available from statistics collected from Scottish police forces by the Home Office. The coverage of this data is known to be incomplete and so estimates derived from this source for areas below Scotland level are not currently considered to be sufficiently reliable.

  Information on the main drug type involved in convictions for drug offences has been included in the Scottish Executive Justice Department’s court proceedings database since early in 2001. However, this information is only available for those convictions where the codes used for the charges involved were recorded under the relevant Integration of Scottish Criminal Justice Information Systems (ISCJIS) data standards. It is anticipated that nearly all charges involved in court disposals will become ISCJIS compliant over the next couple of years. At that point, sufficiently complete statistical information will have built up to provide more reliable data on numbers of drug offence convictions by class of drug for areas below Scotland level.

European Convention on Human Rights

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to publicise to members of the public their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Office produced guidance for members of the public on their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights in 1999. However, we announced in June this year that we would be taking forward a package of awareness-raising activities over the next year. This will include producing further guidance for members of the public, completely revising and updating our human rights website and working with other human rights organisations to support awareness-raising activities.

First Minister

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive for what matters the First Minister is solely responsible.

Mr Jack McConnell: The general principle, reflected in section 52 (1) of the Scotland Act, is that statutory functions are normally conferred on the Scottish ministers collectively and are then exercisable by any member of the Executive. This reflects the principle of collective responsibility under which the Scottish Executive operates. However, certain statutory functions are conferred upon the First Minister alone, and these are as follows:

  Keeper of the Scottish Seal; appointment and removal of Scottish ministers and junior Scottish ministers;

  functions relating to the appointment and removal of judges and the Scottish Law Officers;

  functions under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 and the Intelligence Services Act 1994;

  functions relating to the Universities of Scotland, and

  civil service management functions in relation to the staff of the Scottish Administration.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to deploy sufficient policing and enforcement measures to monitor any increase in the number of Spanish vessels that might enter the Scottish sector of the EU fishing zone should the EU decide to grant Spain free access to those waters from the beginning of 2003.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency will continue to deploy the enforcement resources at its disposal to meet perceived needs and risks within the Scottish zone.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government on the opening-up of EC fisheries regulations to adjustment, amendment, suspension or repeal without the unanimous consent of member states, given the relative stability principle of the Common Fisheries Policy, and whether the requirement for unanimity has been modified since 25 January 1983.

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the principle of relative stability of the Common Fisheries Policy, what its position is on the use of EU majority voting procedures to amend that principle.

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with Her Majesty’s Government with regard to whether it intends to veto any proposal presented by the European Commission that invites the Council of Ministers to rely on majority voting procedures with regard to the principles of (a) relative stability and (b) conservation within the Common Fisheries Policy.

Ross Finnie: All fisheries decisions, including those on relative stability, are taken by Qualified Majority Vote. No member state has a veto in this area. The principle of Qualified Majority Voting for fisheries was first set down in the Treaty of Rome.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether any European nation has more extensive Common Fisheries Policy policing and enforcement obligations than Scotland.

Ross Finnie: Common Fisheries Policy requirements in relation to policing and enforcement apply similarly to all EU member states.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Spanish fishing fleet poses a threat to the stability of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and whether fresh access restrictions ought to be imposed on the Spanish fleet to ensure that the principle of relative stability of the CFP is respected.

Ross Finnie: There is no legal basis on which to discriminate against the Spanish fleet. Their fishing activities fall to be regulated by the access and quota allocation arrangements set out in the Common Fisheries Policy.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the European Commission (EC) has sought any assurances from it that it can afford to assume the increased policing and enforcement obligations under the Common Fisheries Policy that are likely to result from the adoption of EC proposals to grant free access to approximately 17,000 Spanish vessels to the North Sea and the EU’s north western waters.

Ross Finnie: No such assurances have been sought. Spain’s increased rights of access do not confer new quota allocations.

Fisheries

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated decommissioning costs are for white fish fishing vessels this year and how many, and what percentage of, vessels have been decommissioned.

Ross Finnie: Ninety-eight vessels were decommissioned under the Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001 at a cost of a little over £24.8 million. The capacity of these vessels represented a little over 18% of the capacity of the vessels eligible for the scheme (measured in terms of tonnage).

Fisheries

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what average compensation is paid to skippers/owners of decommissioned white fish fishing vessels.

Ross Finnie: Under the Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001, payments totalling just over £24.8 million were made to the owners of 98 fishing vessels. That equates to an average of just over £253,700 per vessel. Individual payments reflected the amount vessel owners bid under the competitive tendering arrangements which were part of the scheme.

Fisheries

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost would be of (a) a feasibility study into diversification of the white fish fishing sector and (b) paying tied-up boats to help re-seed the fishery with young farmed cod.

Ross Finnie: It is not possible to supply estimated costs without a more detailed specification of the work envisaged. However, it is important to note that there are only limited opportunities available in terms of new species to exploit onto which fishing effort could be diverted.

  In relation to re-seeding, our scientists believe that the current levels of farmed cod stocks are insufficient to make any such scheme a realistic proposition. There are also likely to be genetic differences between groups of farmed and wild cod stocks that make the value and sustainability of such schemes questionable.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31273 by Ross Finnie on 18 November 2002, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre the responses received to the consultation document, Registration of Sellers and Buyers of First Sale Fish .

Ross Finnie: Consultation meetings with industry interests throughout the UK are still taking place. Against that background we have advised industry that we shall accept written comments until the end of the year. Copies of responses received will be made available (except where respondents have requested that they be withheld) through the Scottish Executive library and the Parliament’s Reference Centre in the New Year.

Health

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the NHS is ready to handle seasonal increases in illness over the coming winter.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Scotland has prepared extensively and is better placed than ever before to deal with winter pressures. Problems associated with winter cannot be ruled out but those involved in this year's planning process have endeavoured to ensure that a high level of service will be maintained despite these extra pressures.

Health

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for the delivery of health services in rural areas.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Health Plan,  Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change ,   set out our thinking on health services for rural areas. We expect NHS boards individually and through regional planning arrangements to ensure the provision of safe and accessible services. We have reviewed the funding allocation formula for NHSScotland to ensure that it recognises the higher cost of delivering services in rural areas. We have also introduced a number of initiatives designed to support and develop rural health care.

Health

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what future role it envisages for community hospitals in the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive sees community hospitals as playing an important role in the spectrum of care provided to the communities they serve. They provide accessible services to meet a range of local needs and complement the other services available in the locality. It is important that the clinical staff in the hospitals have effective liaison with those working in the specialist hospital services, as well as other services within the local community. The Executive continues to encourage the local evolution of community hospitals that enables them to best meet local needs.

Health

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many extra acute hospital beds will be provided through the allocation of the £12 million announced by the Chief Executive of the NHS on 27 November 2002 for additional funding for winter pressures, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: It is for each NHS board to decide, based on local circumstances and clinical needs over the winter period, how to allocate its additional funding for winter. For Scotland as a whole, this winter, there will be 400 extra beds available, if required, and 20 extra critical care beds.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it is giving to reviewing the report Complementary Medicine and the National Health Service – An Examination of Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Chiropractic and Osteopathy  of November 1996 and recommending the integration of complementary medicine in the NHS.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are no current plans to review this report. It remains a matter for each NHS board or trust to make their own assessment of need for such therapies and provide resources, as appropriate.

Justice

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30691 by Dr Richard Simpson on 8 November 2002, what the cost was of work done by its officials on clauses of, and amendments to, the Extradition Bill and who bore the costs.

Mr Jim Wallace: An estimate of the cost of the work could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The expenditure involved was borne by the Scottish Executive.

Justice

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases resulted in a sentence of three years or less for causing death by dangerous driving in each of the last five years.

Mr Jim Wallace: In the years 1996-2000 a total of 11, 11, eight, 10 and three persons respectively received a custodial sentence of three years or less where the main charge was causing death by dangerous driving. Data for 2001 are expected to be available in December.

Learning Disabilities

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to ensure that the eye health and vision needs of residents to be discharged from Scottish Learning Disability Hospitals are effectively assessed and addressed as part of planning in respect of The same as you? .

Mr Frank McAveety: Individuals with a learning disability being discharged from long-stay hospitals should have a comprehensive multi-agency assessment of all their care needs. This includes their individual health needs, and should cover their eye health and vision needs.

Learning Disabilities

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to increase the percentage of people with combined learning difficulties and sight loss that appear on the blind or partially-sighted register as a first step to ensuring that appropriate services are made available for this section of the community.

Mr Frank McAveety: Local authorities and their partners in the NHS are developing databases of people with learning disabilities, including those with sensory impairments. Inclusion on existing, separate, blind and partially sighted registers is voluntary and a Scottish Executive working group is developing mechanisms for improved take-up. These steps, when taken together, should identify needs and improve access to appropriate services.

Less Favoured Areas

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme payments have been made in the current year to the Lairg area, broken down by land grade and area per square hectare.

Ross Finnie: Since 1 January 2002, the Scottish Executive has paid a net total of £1,201,679.26 to 488 claimants covered by the Lairg Area Office under the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme. The following table breaks this figure down by Land and Payment type and gives details of the land area (in hectares) covered by those payments. (Note: because the Maximum Scheme Payment Limit (CAP) operates on the gross value of individual claims, it is not possible to show net payment values by land type.)

  
 Land Type or Payment Category
Land Classification HIE 
Area Payments
Hectares 
Improved Pasture Moorland
HIE £271,814.61
8,941.27  NON-HIE
£1,652.55 54.36
 Northern Upland 
£151,123.05 3,358.29
 Southern Upland 
- 0
 Rough Grazings
Moorland HIE
£644,161.51 67,113.28
 NON-HIE
£631.11 65.74
 Northern Upland 
£65,995.80 5,279.66
 Southern Upland 
 - 0
 Environmental Measure - Basic
Moorland HIE
£133,458.51 24,296.1
 NON-HIE
£473.38 86.07
 Northern Upland 
£17,385.17 3,160.94
 Southern Upland 
 - 0
 Environmental Measure - Additional
Moorland HIE
£7,764.33 436.42
 NON-HIE
 - 0
 Northern Upland 
£28,595.00 1,429.75
 Southern Upland 
 - 0
 Safety Net 
HIE £27,448.93
n/a  
NON-HIE  -
n/a  Maximum 
Scheme Payment Limitation 
HIE -£148,824.69
n/a  
NON-HIE  -
n/a  Total
£1,201,679.26 114,221.88

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31193 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 13 November 2002, whether sufficient psychiatrists will be found to implement fully the provisions contained in the Mental Health (Scotland) Bill, given that there are currently 29 vacancies.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Executive will work with NHS Scotland and professional bodies to ensure that the NHS will have the capacity to meet the additional demands which will be placed on it when the anticipated new Mental Health Act comes into effect. This includes increasing the capacity of psychiatric services to meet the demands associated with the proposed new procedures.

NHS Waiting Times

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why patients are currently being treated at the National Waiting Times Centre without charge to NHS trusts, given that there will be charges for such treatment after 1 April 2003.

Malcolm Chisholm: The National Waiting Times Centre was purchased by the Scottish Executive for NHSScotland in the course of the current financial year, and it is already making good progress towards the target of undertaking 5,000 procedures in its first full year of operation.

  As NHS boards had already agreed their financial plans for this year by the time of the purchase of the centre, they would have had to make reductions in other services if they had been required to pay for the extra activity at the centre. Consequently, no charges are being levied against NHS boards for their use of the centre in 2002-03.

  NHS boards are expected to build their costs for using the National Waiting Times Centre into their plans for future years.

New Opportunities Fund

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what projects valued over £100,000 have been funded from the New Opportunities Fund in (a) Glasgow, (b) Edinburgh and (c) Lanarkshire and on what dates each such project was approved.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what projects valued over £100,000 have been rejected for funding from the New Opportunities Fund in (a) Glasgow, (b) Edinburgh and (c) Lanarkshire.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on what applications for projects valued over £100,000 have been received by the New Opportunities Fund from Lanarkshire since 1 September 2002.

Dr Elaine Murray: This is a matter for the New Opportunities Fund. The information requested is not held centrally.

Nursing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce NHS dependence on agency nursing staff.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Executive is committed to building capacity within the existing nursing workforce through a range of recruitment and retention strategies under the banner of Facing the Future. This includes the Return to Practice programme and increasing the student nurse intake.

  Decisions about the employment of bank or agency staff ultimately rest at local level. All NHSScotland employers are required to take account of and follow Audit Scotland’s recommendations in their Temporary Measures report on bank and agency staff.

Nursing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS trusts are allowed to "poach" nursing staff from other trusts by offering higher gradings or other perks.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: NHS trusts have local responsibility for the Recruitment and Retention strategies that they adopt. Currently they are also free to vary Whitley terms and conditions of service to reflect their local circumstances.

  Staff are also free to choose and plan their own movements.

Nursing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty’s Government on NHS trusts in England "poaching" nursing staff from trusts in Scotland.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: No.

Pollution

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when and how the transitional Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations (Scotland) 2000 will be replaced.

Allan Wilson: There is no proposal to replace the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (PPC). However, the Executive has consulted on amendments to the PPC Regulations, including to the transitional timetable set out in the regulations for a number of industrial sectors. It is expected that amendment regulations will be made in the near future.

  The PPC Regulations replace the previous Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) regime, which controlled emissions from larger industrial installations, and Local Air Pollution Control (LAPC), which regulated smaller processes. Under PPC, existing installations will transfer to the new pollution control regime on a phased, sector by sector basis between 2001 and 2007. It was recognised at an early stage that it would be impracticable to transfer all sectors to PPC simultaneously and that it would be necessary to phase in implementation over a number of years leading up to 2007, the final date for transferring existing installations allowed under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive.

Pollution

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it will deploy to determine and enforce pollution prevention and control applications timeously.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is responsible for implementing the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (PPC). SEPA is resourced to undertake these duties from grant-in-aid provided by the Scottish Executive, and from the agency’s PPC charging scheme. The level of grant-in-aid and charging scheme income is designed to ensure that SEPA is adequately resourced to enable it to process and determine applications for PPC permits, and take enforcement action in the event of any infringement of conditions in a permit. SEPA has recently consulted on amendments to the PPC charging scheme.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31454 by Mr Jim Wallace on 21 November 2002, when it expects its (a) detailed project plan and (b) timetable for the procurement of the new private-build, private-operate prison to be completed.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31454 by Mr Jim Wallace on 21 November 2002, whether it will publish its (a) detailed project plan and (b) timetable for the procurement of the new private-build, private-operate prison.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The intention is that the new private-build, private-operate prison will become operational as quickly as possible. However, a timescale for completion of the detailed project plan and timetable for procurement of that prison has not been set, since the timing will depend on a decision yet to be taken on the site for that prison and thereafter on the obtaining of planning permission. The SPS do not anticipate publishing the detailed project plan and timetable.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31455 by Mr Jim Wallace on 21 November 2002, what specific potential sites have been identified for the location of a new prison.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  It would not be appropriate to disclose in advance of acquisition which sites have been identified as possible locations for a new prison, since to do so could increase the cost to the taxpayer of acquiring whichever sites are finally chosen.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners have been transferred from HM Prison Greenock to each other Scottish Prison Service prison in each of the last 12 weeks.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  
 Week Commencing
Barlinnie Castle 
Huntly Cornton Vale
Edinburgh Glenochil
Inverness  9-9-02
1 
 16-9-02 
2 
6 1 
 23-9-02
2   
1  
30-9-02 2  
1 
1  7-10-02
2 
 14-10-02
1 2 
2 3 
 21-10-02   
1  
 28-10-02
9  
1  
 4-11-02
3 
 11-11-02
2  
1 3 
 18-11-02
4 3
 25-11-02
2 
1   


   
Week Commencing Low Moss
Noranside Perth
Peterhead Polmont
Shotts  9-9-02
5 
1 
3 1
 16-9-02
12 
1 
4  
23-9-02 12  
1 2 
 30-9-02
2  
7-10-02 16   
5  
14-10-02 
3 1   
 21-10-02
9 
1 1  
 28-10-02
6 1
 4-11-02
2   
4  
11-11-02 9   
2 1
 18-11-02
4 1  
5  
25-11-02 6
3

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30372 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 November 2002 and given that the Scottish Prison Service does not monitor the number of reportable accidents notified by Premier Prison Services Ltd (PPSL) to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), how it measures PPSL's performance against the target for number of injuries reportable to the HSE.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS has no target for the number of injuries reportable to the HSE from HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30372 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 November 2002, how many injuries that were reportable to the Health and Safety Executive there were in each prison in the first half of 2002-03.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  
 Aberdeen
6  Barlinnie
29  Castle Huntly
1  Cornton Vale
6  Dumfries
3  Edinburgh
10  Glenochil
6  Greenock
9  Inverness
2  Low Moss
6  Noranside
1  Perth
4  Peterhead
2  Polmont
5  Shotts
13

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions it imposes on the Scottish Prison Service Board in respect of any failure to meet the targets the Executive has set in respect of the Scottish Prison Service.

Mr Jim Wallace: As an Executive Agency, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is accountable to Scottish ministers for all operational and contractual matters involving the agency and for it’s performance. The accountability framework specifying the responsibilities of the Chief Executive and the SPS board is contained in the SPS Framework Document.

  The performance of senior managers in the SPS is managed within the Senior Civil Service Performance Appraisal System which applies to the Senior Civil Service across the United Kingdom.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30810 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 November 2002, what assessment it made of best value when deciding to contract out education services in prisons.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The education contracts were competitively tendered in accordance with European Union rules. Bids from reputable education providers were initially assessed for educational capability and capacity to provide the required range of services. Commercial factors including cost were also assessed and each bid evaluated in total with the emphasis on educational quality.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will define the term "unfit places", as referred to on page 7 of the Justice section in Spending Proposals 2003-2006 - Technical Notes .

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The term "unfit places" relates to prisoner places with no access to night sanitation. The SPS is committed to developing a prison estate "fit for purpose" for the 21st century and thereby phasing out the use of such places as circumstances and finance permit.

Prison Service

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many unfit places are projected for 2005-06, based upon the targets outlined on page 7 of the Justice section in Spending Proposals 2003-2006 - Technical Notes .

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Projections for the number of prisoner places in future years with no access to night sanitation facilities will fluctuate over time dependant on plans and progress against the building of new accommodation and associated temporary closures for upgrade. Current projections show that the number of such places for the year 2005-06 would be about 850.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-31088 and S1W-31487 by Mr Jim Wallace on 8 and 22 November 2002 respectively, whether it will show the performance points accrued by the operating company of HM Prison Kilmarnock broken down by sub-section in section 2.4(b) of Schedule F to the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock for each quarter of operation of the contract to date and why this information was omitted from document Bib. number 25002 referred to in the answers to the questions.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Figures relating to item 2.4(b) were given in answer to question S1W-25569 on 24 May 2002, but due to a clerical error they were omitted from the response to question S1W-31088. This information is now included in the updated table in document (Bib. number 25435), a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

  In compiling this table, a clerical error was noted in respect of 2.4(d). This has also been corrected in the revised table.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Procurator Fiscals

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30797 by Colin Boyd QC on 12 November 2002, how much has been spent on ad hoc or temporary procurator fiscal deputes in each sheriff court district in each year since 1999-2000.

Colin Boyd QC: Expenditure on temporary procurator fiscal deputes by Procurator Fiscal office for the most recent years available was:


1999-2000(£)
2000-01(£)
2001-02(£) 
Aberdeen 860
13,665 26,650
 Airdrie
41,253 36,881
18,964  Arbroath
- -
705  Ayr
1,850 4,050
7,050  Campbeltown
1,800 450
4,200  Cupar
- 705
-  Dumbarton
4,450 17,055
14,659  Dundee
8,039 12,670
10,676  Dunfermline
6,607 2,291
881  Duns
- 150
-  Edinburgh
42,433 105,993
52,069  Falkirk
16,582 -
18,454  Forfar
- -
353  Fort William
- 1,234
-  Glasgow
178,506 150,754
236,571  Greenock
- 3,968
1,800  Hamilton
25,604 40,669
89,749  Jedburgh
- -
2,100  Kirkcudbright
3,904 2,100
3,000  Kirkcaldy
21,802 10,046
5,640  Kilmarnock
2,795 9,595
881  Kirkwall
1,500 1,500
1,500  Lerwick
1,694 1,800
1,571  Linlithgow
47,012 12,806
22,312  Lanark
585 1,586
2,001  Oban
- 750
1,350  Paisley
10,240 12,289
35,139  Peebles
- 150
-  Perth
16,257 39,248
21,212  Selkirk
- 2,231
6,880  Stranraer
1,670 150
-  Stirling
4,574 1,058
7,705  Stornoway
375 1,500
2,250  Wick
1,603 -
- 

  Since summer 2002 the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has recruited over 40 new Procurator Fiscal Deputes. These permanent staff will lead to a reduction in the use of ad hoc and temporary fiscals.

Road Safety

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the Route Accident Reduction Plan compiled before summer 2002 by Amey Highways in respect of the A737/A738 Stevenston Road in Kilwinning and, if so, on what date the report was received and what response it has made.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive commissioned Amey Highways to undertake the A737/A738 Route Accident Reduction Plan study in March this year. Amey’s report was received on 29 November and is currently being evaluated by officials.

Road Safety

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a need for a form of pavement or footpath along the A82 from the locks at South Laggan to connect with the existing footpath from the Seven Heads store to the housing scheme at the swing bridge; whether provision of such a footpath is important in order to protect the safety of those using the Great Glen Way; whether there is any risk to those people who use the Great Glen Way each month from any road traffic accidents, and what steps it will take to ensure that all relevant agencies work together to provide such a footpath.

Lewis Macdonald: Improvement works, such as the provision of footpaths, are identified and carried out on a needs basis taking into account safety and operational issues and setting these within the budgetary restraints and competing priorities across the entire trunk road network. A feasibility study into the provision of a footpath between South Laggan and the Well of the Seven Heads store is currently being undertaken by BEAR Scotland Ltd. In parallel, liaison with relevant agencies will also take place and the possibility of alternative funding arrangements will also be considered.

Roads

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what performance indicators it publishes regarding spending by local authorities on roads.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive does not currently publish any performance indicators on spending by local authorities on local roads. We are, however, supporting the SCOTS local road condition survey which will, over time, provide an accurate assessment of the condition of local authority roads across Scotland. Statistics on spending by local authorities on local roads are available in Scottish Transport Statistics.

Roads

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the trunk roads network in each local authority was (a) resurfaced and (b) surface dressed in each of the last five years.

Lewis Macdonald: Information about the proportion of the trunk road network that has been resurfaced and surface dressed in each of the last five years can be found in Table 5.3, page 80 of Scottish Transport Statistics No. 21 published by the Scottish Executive in 2002, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 23316).

School Transport

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-5943 by Cathy Jamieson on 21 November 2002, when it will issue its revised guidance to local authorities on school transport safety.

Cathy Jamieson: We intend to issue revised guidance early next year.

Scottish Executive Information

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive under what criteria it releases information under embargo to the press without first releasing it to the Parliament.

Mr Andy Kerr: Under the terms of paragraph 8.5 of the Scottish Ministerial Code there is no regular procedure whereby final proof versions of policy documents can be made available under embargo to the media before publication. Such use of embargoes is normally limited to the publication of complex statistical and research reports. Any such decision to issue statistical reports under embargo is taken on a case-by-case basis in line with the National Statistics Protocol on Release Practices and it is expected that the vast majority of statistical releases from the Executive will not be subject to embargo.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the full costs were of publishing, printing, distributing and launching "It's everyone's job to make sure I'm alright" - Report of the Child Protection Audit and Review, and the accompanying Literature Review .

Cathy Jamieson: Unfortunately this information is not currently available. Due to very high demand, a reprint of the report is now in progress. We would hope to have this information by the end of January 2003.

Sewel Motions

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it gives to Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998 before seeking the agreement of the Scottish Parliament, through a Sewel motion, to the UK Parliament legislating for Scotland.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive will always consider Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998 in order to determine whether provisions in a Westminster Bill require the consent of the Scottish Parliament by means of a Sewel motion.

Social Work

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent in each year since 1998 by each local authority on section 13 payments under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Social Work

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the whole time equivalent figures for 2001 on front-line social work staff working in each local authority area were not available in Growth and Development - The Report of the Chief Inspector of Social Work Services for Scotland 2002 ; whether it will now provide these figures, or whether it plans to publish them in the future and, if so, when.

Cathy Jamieson: Staffing figures on front-line social work staff for 2001 were not available when the information was compiled for the Chief Inspector’s annual report. There are plans to publish further staffing figures within next year’s report.

  Other information on staff of Scottish local authority social work services is available within the Scottish Executive statistical bulletin Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Services, 2001, published September 2002. The bulletin can be found at the following address:

  Staff of Scottish Local Authority Social Work Services, 2001:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00197-00.asp.

Sport

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31383 by Dr Elaine Murray on 18 November 2002, how much additional money has been allocated to school sport in Renfrewshire in each year since 1998-99.

Dr Elaine Murray: Funding from  sport scotland for school sport is available on the basis of applications from local authorities and/or individual schools, not allocations. Since the commencement of the National Lottery, school sport in Renfrewshire has benefited as follows.

  
 Programme
Funding  TOP 
£73,320  School 
Sport Co-ordinator  £238,640
 Active Primary School (Exchequer Programme)
£85,000  Total
£396,960

Waste Management

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish regulations to enforce Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste.

Ross Finnie: The consultation paper Safer Landfill , published on 29 August, included draft Regulations to implement EC Directive 1999/31/EC on the Landfill of Waste. The consultation period ended on 22 November 2002. We are now considering responses and will shortly lay the regulations.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer what the temporary accommodation costs of the Parliament have been to date and what accommodation costs have been projected for the period until the Parliament moves into its accommodation at Holyrood.

Sir David Steel: Temporary accommodation costs, comprising rent and rates, are shown in the following table. Projections for total accommodation costs, until the Parliament moves to Holyrood, cannot be accurately calculated until firm dates for the move have been agreed.

  The costs shown for the 12 months to March 2003 are based on the latest estimate of the likely out-turn position.

  Forecast

  
 1999-2000
(£000)
  
2000-01
(£000)
  
2001-02
(£000)
  
2002-03
(£000)
   
1,371 2,293
2,730 2,756

Holyrood Project

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer on what date, or dates, any member of the Holyrood Project Team met directors of Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd (a) John Tang, (b) Johnson Fong or (c) Edward Boyle; what matters were discussed at any such meetings, and whether any meeting took place between any one or more of these directors with any representatives of the construction managers prior to the recommendations in January 2001 by the latter to award the contract to Flour City.

Sir David Steel: My answer to question S1W-26364 on 13 June 2002 provided details of a meeting on 4 September 2001, which was attended by representatives of Flour City International Inc, Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd, Bovis Lend Lease (Scotland) Ltd and the Holyrood Project Team. The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has informed me that this was the only such meeting held and that issues concerning the MSP Building Cladding Package were discussed. He has also informed me that he is not aware of any meeting between Bovis Lend Lease (Scotland) Ltd and the representatives of Flour City International Inc or Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd, who attended the meeting on 4 September 2001, in connection with the new Scottish Parliament building project, prior to January 2001.

Holyrood Project

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd submitted any tenders for Holyrood Project packages other than that for which it was awarded a contract and, if so, for which packages and on what date any such tenders were received.

Sir David Steel: Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd submitted unsuccessful tender bids for four packages, other than their successful bid for the MSP Building Cladding package. The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has informed me that identities of unsuccessful tender bidders would normally be classed as commercially confidential, we do not see any problem in providing this information in respect of Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd, who are in receivership, but in this instance has provided the following information on the unsuccessful bids.

  
 Trade Package
Date Tender Received 
1. Assembly Building Specialist Glazing 04 
May 2001  2. Assembly Building Windows
01 June 2001  3. 
Assembly Building Stone Cladding 12 
June 2001  4. MSP Building Roofing
15 August 2001

Holyrood Project

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer when the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body was made aware of the contents of the quarterly accounts of Flour City International Inc for the period to 31 July 2001.

Sir David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body did not see the contents of the quarterly accounts of Flour City International for the financial period to 31 July 2001.

Opening Ceremony

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Presiding Officer whether the post of project manager for the Parliament’s opening ceremony in 2003 is not to be proceeded with and, if so, whether any costs have been incurred as a result.

Sir David Steel: My answer to question S1W-32082 on 11 December 2002, explained that the appointment of an Opening Ceremonies Manager has been put on hold. No costs have been incurred as a result.

Scottish Parliament and Business Exchange

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Presiding Officer on what date the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) agreed that it would give support in respect of (a) IT, (b) the media office, (c) Standards Committee clerking, (d) the office of the Chief Executive, (e) the office of the Presiding Officer and (f) website design to the Scottish Parliament and Business Exchange and whether the minutes of the meeting at which the decision was made will be made publicly available

Sir David Steel: The decision to support The Exchange including through "contribution in kind" was taken by SPCB on 6 February 2001.

  The minutes of the SPCB were not made publicly available until June 2001. However, the extract of the minutes for that meeting is detailed below.

  "SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT AND BUSINESS EXCHANGE – SPCB (2001) Paper 17

  The Corporate Body approved the membership and support and on-going subscription for the Business Exchange."